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On Having Little Motivation

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I used to be a proponent of the “write every day no matter what” ideology. I’ve discussed it more than a few times in other posts here. The gist?

“Write every day, even if it’s only a few sentences! Sit down and make yourself write, even if it’s only for ten minutes!”

Writing is an individual pursuit much of the time. Nearly all the time, in fact. As such, you need to be able to tailor your routine to, well, you. Life does and will get in the way of writing. Day jobs, family obligations, social activities and any number of other things demand attention, and it’s impossible to ignore all of those things to write.

Here’s the thing about that: It’s okay.

Since graduating from the MFA in Creative Writing program at Lesley University in June 2014, writing has been a struggle. Not just daily writing, but writing, in general. If you know me, the reason isn’t really a secret. Between government worries, mental health struggles, and the need to secure enough work to pay the bills, it’s been hard to do, well, anything at all, to be honest. Everything, even the simplest of tasks, feels stressful.

It’s damn difficult to sit down and write, let alone focus on what I’m writing. But, you know what? That’s okay, too. While I’m slowly nudging myself back into a semi-regular writing routine, I’m not scolding myself for not getting words down every day. Instead, I’m learning to celebrate the days on which I do write, even if it’s only a few words or a bit of research or an idea for an upcoming chapter. It may not seem like it, but those things — as little a they feel — are victories. They’re part of that nudging back into a regular routine.

I’m going to get through this. You will, too. We all will, and we’ll better for it. Keep writing, okay? Continue creating. The world needs it now more than ever.